Brazil elects third transgender person to national Congress

The Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Norte has elected its first out transgender representative to the Brazilian National Congress.Thabatta Pimenta becomes the third out trans person elected to the legislative body. Her win follows the election of two other trans lawmakers, Erika Hilton and Duda Salabert, in 2022.“We can already say that [Rio Grande do Norte] has just made history,” Pimenta said in an Instagram post celebrating her victory Monday. “The first trans congresswoman from the Brazilian Northeast!” See on Instagram Brazil held a nationwide general election on Sunday, with conservative Flavio Bolsonaro winning the first round of the nation’s presidential race over the incumbent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who is on the left.Pimenta is a member of Partido Verde, Brazil’s Green Party, and won her race with nearly 93,000 votes.She currently serves as a councilwoman representing the city of Natal, the capital of Rio Grande do Norte, and previously served as a councilwoman for the smaller municipality of Carnaúba dos Dantas. As an activist, Pimenta has faced anti-trans hate from conservative groups in Brazil.Despite a national election result that marked a shift to the right, Rio Grande do Norte, a coastal state in Brazil’s northeast, favored left-wing candidates like Pimenta. The state also voted handily for Lula over his right-wing counterpart.“From the countryside, from [humble roots], and with the people,” read Pimenta's Instagram post on Monday. “Thank you [Rio Grande do Norte]!”